This invention relates generally to the field of seating and more particularly to seat assemblies for use in vehicles such as automobiles and the like. In the past, most automobile seating involved the use of foam and some type of metal springs. The primary function of the springs was to provide added structural support. During quick loading of the seat or during long-term continuous use of the seat, the seat occupant could feel the springs which thus became a source of discomfort.
More recently, seat assemblies have been developed in which the load bearing seat member is a web or sheet of material that can be tensioned and which functions as a support member encapsulated within a foam body. The web or sheet is preferably a matrix of fibrous material which is attached to the frame and operates like a network of filaments, as disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 437,715 filed Oct. 29, 1982 and assigned to the assignee of this application.
The present invention provides improved structure for mounting load bearing webs or sheets on the seat frame. Past methods of attaching spring support systems to the frame have necessitated discrete attachment locations and are thus not adaptable to a system for mounting a web on a frame. These spring support systems are inconsistent with the goal in a web mounting of uniform load distribution, and would result in locally high stressing of both the membrane and the seat frame. It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide web attachment structure which provides for a continuous attachment of the web to the frame to thereby take full advantage of the uniform web load carrying characteristics.